Chapter 411: Keep Going
Chapter 411: Keep Going
The keynote of December was fierce winds and heavy snow, and compared to the vast expanse of the world, Hogwarts Castle seemed like a creature wearing a white felt hat in the snow.
Like a Niffler.
A pair of students stood in the courtyard chatting. "Move a bit closer", Eleanor said, pulling out a pendant box from her thin coat pocket and examining it closely. "I remember there's a button to adjust the range at the edge..."
The boy hesitated for a moment, then sat a little closer. Caldwell watched her fiddle with the knobs on the pendant box.
"What is that?" he asked curiously.
"A Thermoregulating Pendant Box, Mom sent it to me", Eleanor explained, her head bent as she studied it. "There! Done!"
"What... wow." Caldwell exclaimed, feeling a warm breeze seep through his cold clothes. At first, it was a bit uncomfortable as the warmth made him realize how cold his outer layers were, but soon, he closed his eyes in comfort.
It felt like a sudden return to summer.
"So that's why you didn't wear a thick wool cloak, you had this... this Thermoregulating Pendant Box!" Caldwell said, his face turning red from the warmth. He quickly loosened the thick scarf around his neck.
"It's a Thermoregulating Pendant Box", Eleanor repeated, then showed it to him. "There are two knobs, one for range and one for temperature. It's a new product from Future World, and Mom sent it to me via owl."
"Future World?" Caldwell heard another unfamiliar term.
"Oh, it's a very famous company lately, with news everywhere. Magic light shows, collaborations with the Weird Sisters, branches in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade... They even have a list of upcoming products, over a dozen items. I really want the Emerald Crown."
Caldwell looked at her enviously. "You know so much, unlike me who knows nothing."
"Because my mom is a Wizard, she graduated from Hufflepuff—just like me. She told me all the kitchen secrets..." Eleanor said, squinting her eyes. She had moon-white hair and a round face.
"So you don't have to worry, just ask me if you have any questions." She patted her chest.
They sat on a bench in the courtyard, watching the men and women leisurely walking by on the weekend, pointing and commenting on everyone who passed.
"See, that person is from Slytherin, you can tell from the color of their scarf."
"Those two girls are holding a Magical Puppet, it's a prop for the Ancient Runes class. I bet they're looking for a quiet place to play with it."
"Ha, look at that person, doesn't his outfit remind you of Mick the Young Wizard? Especially the way he scratches his head, it's so silly..." Eleanor giggled.
Caldwell listened attentively, then pointed to someone in the distance. "It's Professor Moody!"
The two fell silent, watching as Moody limped closer and then walked away. They held their breath until he turned a corner, and the sound of his footsteps on the snow finally faded away.
"He's really scary, isn't he?" Eleanor whispered.
"Yep, you're right", Caldwell agreed. "You wouldn't believe how terrifying he was when he yelled at me during the Champion Selection. His ragged nose was less than three inches from my face. Luckily, a young professor saved me..."
"Don't talk about it." Eleanor immediately remembered the time she was scolded by Professor Moody while dyeing Fluffy.
Thanks to the Thermoregulating Pendant Box, the biting cold turned into a pleasant spring breeze, cool and refreshing. It made Caldwell feel comfortable, though he thought Eleanor had set the temperature a bit too high. The two of them felt like they were sitting by a warm fireplace, the snow around them melting into a circle.
"What's that?" Caldwell suddenly said, pointing to the snow in the courtyard. "Something's underneath it."
"I don't know", Eleanor said, pulling out her wand and looking at the snow warily. Caldwell followed her lead, but they were both first-year students and hadn't learned many useful spells.
"It must be a living thing!" Caldwell said. They lifted their legs and placed them on the edge of the bench, carefully watching the trail that emerged from the snow and stopped not far from them.
As Caldwell began to wonder if a large mouth full of fangs might suddenly appear, a small mound rose in the snow. "It's coming out!" Eleanor said tensely, gripping Caldwell's arm tightly.
"Don't worry, it doesn't look big... I should be able to handle it... Huh?"
He was about to encourage Eleanor when a pink beak poked out, followed by a fluffy head.
“Chirp!”
Niffler Valen raised its head, covered in a layer of snow, and surveyed the surroundings. It paused briefly on Eleanor and Caldwell, glanced in the direction of the courtyard exit, and then burrowed back into the snow.
“What was that... It doesn’t look very scary,” Caldwell said, his face turning red, perhaps because Eleanor was standing too close, or maybe because the pendant box was too warm.
“A Niffler,” Eleanor said. “I heard a prefect mention that one of the professors keeps a Niffler... Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?”
“We missed an opportunity! The prefect said this Niffler has many treasures. No one knows what it keeps in its pockets, but if it likes you, it will offer its treasures in exchange for something you have!”
“What could a Niffler possibly have, some pretty stones?” Caldwell asked, that being the only thing he could think of.
“More than that. I heard the twins gave this Niffler a box of Flibbertigibbet Fireworks and got a Quill that can draw pictures in the air, and the pictures even move... Another student gave it a Glowing Grass plant and received a bottle of Blue Bubble Water in return.”
“Bubble Water?”
“Bubbles big enough to hold a person!”
Caldwell imagined Eleanor inside a blue bubble and found himself looking forward to it. But the Niffler had already left, and he could only watch the trail it left in the snow.
...
Niffler Valen was enjoying a rare holiday. It had a deal with the Dark Lord: for every hundred words it learned, it could come out and explore on its own, without anyone watching.
After leaving the courtyard and walking a bit, it poked its head out again. It detected over a dozen familiar scents and chose one, moving quickly. Occasionally, it could hear bits of conversation—
“I’ll only tell you because you’re my sister... Professor Trelawney has predicted that something bad will happen!”
“Is that so,” a disinterested voice replied, “Who’s going to die this time?”
“Padma Patil!” the first speaker sounded unhappy, “You should show respect to the professor.”
“Sorry, Ravenclaw only respects those with true knowledge.”
Niffler Valen poked its head out of the snow and saw a pair of twin witches with similar appearances, their tension palpable. It hesitated and started to back away.
“Look, it’s a Niffler! Don’t go, I want to trade with you!” one of the witches exclaimed and ran over. Valen was startled and quickly burrowed back into the snow, fleeing as fast as it could.
This time, it was much more cautious. When it heard voices, it would slow down. Soon, it caught a familiar scent, or rather, three of them.
“People from Wagadu don’t live in snow houses, do they?”
“Fred, you’re insulting my African friends. They have their own settlement... the conditions aren’t great, but they’re much better than Durmstrang, with that poor ghost ship swaying in the storm,” a fast-talking voice said, not sounding particularly angry.
“Really? You’ve made friends with them?” Fred asked, surprised.
“Look at my braids, mate, tonight we’re all Bronze Eagles!” Jordan Lee shouted, his slogan free of charge.
“Oh, Lee, the Ravenclaw students won’t be happy to hear that...” George laughed.
Niffler darted like a black shadow, finding its target before entering the main castle.
“That’s the worst idea ever,” Ron said.
“I don’t think so,” Hermione said calmly.
“Don’t you think it’s ridiculous? We squatted outside the Ilvermorny camp for two hours just to talk to those goblins... I nearly died when they pointed their arrows at me.”
Harry remained silent. He had planned to sleep in on this weekend, but Hermione insisted on dragging them to interview the goblins, asking about their life at Ilvermorny, saying she wanted to compare it with the House-elves at Hogwarts.
The goblins had rudely chased them away, and as for his thoughts... he felt numb from head to toe, only wanting to go back and take a hot bath, not wanting to speak at all.
At that moment, a black shadow darted in front of him. He instinctively drew his wand but stopped when he recognized the black shadow. “Valen?” he exclaimed in surprise.
Niffler climbed up his shoulder and onto his head, looking down at Ron and Hermione arguing.
“Chirp chirp (keep going)!”
(End of Chapter)
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